The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
MODEL plane enthusiast Michael Kelly whose collection is housed at Shannon Airport, met with Hollywood star John Travolta when he made a recent visit, writes Owen Ryan.
Michael’s collection is one of the largest in the world, developed over several decades and it has been housed at Shannon Airport for the last three years, with many passengers stopping to take a look.
On Saturday he met with the Pulp Fiction and Saturday Night Fever star at Travolta’s request. “Besides acting, he loves his aviation,” said Michael.
“He was coming into Shannon Airport, and I’d be out there with model aviation and he had seen bits and pieces about me on YouTube. He wanted to see the gallery and catch up with me if he possibly could,” Michael told the Champion.
“There’s a man working in the airport who was looking after his aircraft. He had a chat with him and he asked if he could possibly go up and see the gallery and meet the guy himself, that’s how it kicked off,” he added.
He found Travolta to be very friendly.
“I had a meeting with him on Saturday at around 5pm and it was fabulous. He’s such a lovely man and he’s so dedicated to aviation. He said to me it’s lovely to meet a guy like you who’s totally engrossed in aviation.”
“I said ‘hold on John, we’re at different levels of aviation here’. He said, ‘no, you’re an aviation head, so am I, let’s leave it at that’.”
Before going away Travolta took a copy of John’s card and said he will be in touch again.
A book entitled Pulling Back The Clouds was written about Michael a few years ago, while a CD of music inspired by the book was subsequently produced, and he gave Travolta a copy of both.
“Kieran Beville is the author of the book, Dominic Taylor of Limerick Writers Centre was the editor. Dominic was so inspired he asked if he could turn some of it to music, which he did, there’s a CD called Pulling Back the Clouds as well. There’s some lovely music on it.
“My lovely late Mam was a Magdalene Laundry girl and the second song on it is called Laundry Girl, it’s a fabulous song.
“John was very interested in the book and the CD, he said that when I see you again we can discuss all of that as well. It was a fabulous meeting with him.
“He was a very satisfied man going away, but so was Michael Kelly!” he joked.
